Fisherman exposed to the toxic fumes from both the oil spill and the chemical dispersants BP is using to clean it up are reporting flu-like symptoms and respiratory illnesses. Dr. Riki Ott saw the same thing in Alaska when cleanup workers were exposed to toxic fumes and chemicals from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. They called it “the Valdez crud.”

Riki Ott: The volatile organic carbons are a—they act like a narcotic on the brain. And at high concentrations what we learned in Exxon Valdez from carcasses of harbor seals and sea otters, it actually literally fried the brain. Brain lesions.